Ordinary Time is the longest season of the Catholic liturgical year: 33 or 34 weeks that fall outside the seasons of Advent, Christmas, Lent and Easter. Its name does not mean “plain” or “unimportant.” It comes from the Latin tempus per annum and the idea of ordinal numbers: the weeks are counted in order (the Second Sunday, the Third Sunday…). The liturgical color is green, the color of growth and hope.
In 2027 Ordinary Time runs from January 11 to February 9 and from May 17 to November 27.
Ordinary Time 2026–2027 at a glance
| Period | Dates | Weeks |
|---|---|---|
| First part | Monday, January 11 – Tuesday, February 9, 2027 | Weeks 1–5 (Ash Wednesday is February 10) |
| Second part | Monday, May 17 – Saturday, November 27, 2027 | Resumes after Pentecost (May 16) |
| Last Sunday | Christ the King, November 21, 2027 | Week 34 |
| Color | Green | |
| Sunday readings | Year B: the Gospel of Mark | |
| Weekday readings | Year I |
Why is it called “ordinary”?
“Ordinary” here means ordered, counted, not “common.” The weeks are numbered: the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, the Third, and so on, up to the Thirty-fourth (Christ the King). The Universal Norms on the Liturgical Year describe it as the time in which “no particular aspect of the mystery of Christ is celebrated, but rather the mystery of Christ itself is honored in its fullness, especially on Sundays” (no. 43).
During Ordinary Time the Sunday Gospels follow the public life of Jesus: his teaching, his miracles and parables, his call to discipleship. In 2027 (Year B) we read mostly from the Gospel of Mark, with a five-week section from John 6 (the Bread of Life discourse) in the summer.
Feasts and solemnities in Ordinary Time
Ordinary Time is full of celebrations:
| Celebration | 2027 date |
|---|---|
| The Most Holy Trinity | Sunday, May 23 |
| Corpus Christi | Thursday, May 27 (Sunday, May 30, in the USA) |
| The Sacred Heart | Friday, June 4 |
| Saints Peter and Paul | Tuesday, June 29 |
| The Transfiguration | Friday, August 6 |
| The Assumption | Sunday, August 15 |
| The Exaltation of the Holy Cross | Tuesday, September 14 |
| All Saints and All Souls | November 1 and 2 |
| Christ the King | Sunday, November 21 |
Find every day’s celebration on the saint of the day page.
How to live Ordinary Time
- Make Sunday holy: Mass, rest and family time. Every Sunday is a “little Easter.”
- Grow in a virtue, the “green” of the spiritual life; see the virtues.
- Read a Gospel from beginning to end, following the Sunday readings.
- Celebrate the saints whose feasts fill the calendar, and your family’s name days.
- Take up a daily prayer, such as the Liturgy of the Hours or the Rosary.
A prayer for Ordinary Time
Written for this page:
Lord Jesus, in these ordinary days you call us to follow you
in the work and duties of daily life.
Let your word grow in us like seed in good soil,
and help us to find you in every task, every person and every Sunday,
until the day of your coming in glory. Amen.
Frequently asked questions
When does Ordinary Time start in 2027?
On Monday, January 11, 2027, the day after the Baptism of the Lord. It pauses on Ash Wednesday (February 10) and resumes on Monday, May 17, after Pentecost.
What color is Ordinary Time?
Green, except on feasts and solemnities, which have their own colors. See liturgical colors.
How many Sundays are in Ordinary Time?
There are 33 or 34 weeks. There is no “First Sunday in Ordinary Time”: the Baptism of the Lord takes its place.
More liturgy guides
- Baptism of the Lord
- Trinity Sunday
- The liturgical year
- Liturgical calendar 2026–2027
- Liturgical colors
- Prayers of the Faithful for this week
Sources
- Universal Norms on the Liturgical Year and the General Roman Calendar (1969), nos. 43–44.
- Lectionary for Mass, introduction (Year B; weekday Year I).
- Dates calculated for the liturgical year 2026–2027.
- The prayer was written for this page.